


Alone in a cage on high

by qaz92



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, Link (Legend of Zelda) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Link needs a hug, M/M, Minor Character Death, Roleswap, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), and so are link and sidon when it gets here, but it is coming, link is the prince and zelda is the hero, my man Really needs a hug, not there yet, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28689021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qaz92/pseuds/qaz92
Summary: Link, the King of Hyrule finds himself alone after defeating the calamity alongside the fated hero. While Zelda has found a new life for herself in the aftermath, he still feels trapped a hundred years in the past. Though, he has found some solace in the blooming friendship between himself and the now grown prince of the zora
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon
Comments: 24
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was loosely inspired by this beautiful piece of fan art :https://boyzoi.tumblr.com/post/639820031877939200/botw-role-swap-au-%C2%BD
> 
> an important note: i saw this piece earlier on my dash, and reblogged it without actually investigating further, until right now when i needed to grab the link... it looks like op is doing their own role swap... Oops, >-> hope ya dont mind i guess?

The domain was a sight to behold at any time, but at night it looked so profoundly un-earthly that it could steal Link's breath away no matter how many times he had the pleasure to visit. Shimmering blues and greens reflected against crystal and silver and stone, the soft sparkle of moonlight on metal and on the waters surface, and the glow that emanated from the luminous stones. It was easy to see why the domain, a hundred years after wretched tragedy, stood as a glowing testimony to the zora's craftsmanship and ingenuity.

Link sighed from where he watched the going ons of this kingdom that often felt so distant and far removed from his own. He wished he could say it looked nothing like it did when he saw it last, before he went to confront Ganon alone while his trusted warrior left to slumber and heal, nothing else in this world looked the same from then, but the domain gleamed and glowed and stood as proudly as it always had, with little change apparent in its shape. Though, when he looked to the paths and roads, filled with revelry and feasting as they are tonight, he saw only strangers.

The king still sat his throne and his throne, and for that Link was grateful, but he couldn't say he had recognized even a single other face when he made his greetings. The council of elders he had worked closely with one hundred years ago had long since passed, with the stragglers having retired to give their seats to the next generation, only for those to have already grown old and weary as well.

Zelda had greeted them all like old friends. Calling them each by name, and asking questions of them and responding to inside jokes with them that implied that she had already found a new life in this world that had left them both behind.

Link wished he could begrudge her for it, but he couldn't think of a single day from before the calamity that she had ever smiled so boldly and brightly as she did in this new world. Free from her duties as a royal guard and a fate destined hero, she had gotten right to her studies, exploring every inch of this world and pulling every truth she could from it. She was happy. So incandescently so it often felt scalding.

She was free from her duties now that the calamity was over, but his had only just begun, and they weighed heavier and heavier with each passing day. He wasn't a wild little prince anymore. He was a King with no guidance ruling a land that may as well be completely foreign to him.

There were quiet murmurs from outside his door, his guards voices and one other he couldn't quite make out. He wanted to be alone right now, secluded in this guest room and left to his thoughts, but rudeness was not something he needed to be known for.

Eventually there was a knock as his guard creaked open the door, she stood in front of the crack to block the view in and to see his response should he decide to sign, "Your majesty, his highness Prince Sidon wishes to speak with you. Shall I let him in?"

Link nodded, and straightened up from where he had been leaning against the window frame. He forced his jaw to loosen and schooled his face into some neutral expression. He remembered the prince only as Mipha's loud and pushy little brother who seemed determined to be underfoot at every turn. Admittedly, some of his ire towards the young prince could be explained by the circumstances of the time. Perhaps he would have found the little monster cute if his shenanigans hadn't been interfering with Link's quest to save the fucking land.

The guard let the prince in and Link had to stop his jaw from dropping. Of course he had expected Sidon to be an adult by now, and he had heard plenty about what a charming and dashing young man he'd grown into, but none of that could have prepared Link for the real deal.

Sidon had to duck to pass under the door without catching his fin, his broad shoulders nearly blocked it completely when he stood straight, and the sharp red of his hide turned almost black in the low blue light of this guest room, though the soft glow from spots on his crest more than made up for the loss of color. His bright gold eyes felt like they could cut the young king in two, despite the softness of their gaze.

He smiled something radient as he dropped to one knee with a bowed head and a hand over his heart, even like this he towered over Link, "King Link, my sincerest apologies for not greeting you and the hero when you first arrived. Some matters had required my attention and delayed my attendance to the banquet, but I am happy to offer my greetings now if you will accept them,"

Link blinked at the prince, his words caught in his throat, of all the changes, this was not one he expected,

After a silent moment Sidon looked up briefly, flinching as he realized his mistake, "Again, my apologies, your majesty. Truly I'm making a bit of a fool of myself tonight," he stayed kneeling but held his chin high enough to see Link's response,

"No worries, please stand," Link signed, he wished to speak, to greet the prince like a friend, but still his words tied themselves in knots before they would let themselves be spoken, "It's nice to see you again,"

Sidon did with a smile, his hand dropping from the broad expanse of muscle that was his chest, "I must say the same to you, King Link, truly, after I found out you were still alive I made a promise to myself that i would seek you out as soon as I could,"

Link cocked his head, with a brow raised he gestured for Sidon to explain himself. He was as wordy as Link remembered him being, but now he was elegant in his phrasing and his voice had deepened from something bordering on shrill to something Link might be able to listen too for hours without complaint.

"I doubt you remember our last meeting, but I must apologize for it regardless." his eyes dropped from Link's for a moment, "I was being a brat, and distracting you and Mipha from your duties. Realistically, I know that brief interruption had little effect, especially compared to all the ones that had proceeded it, but considering what happened after it… Well, a great guilt has refused to leave me, to say the least." his smile faltered for a moment before he let it drop, "Genuinely, I can not express the joy I feel seeing you alive and well after a hundred years of you tirelessly defending us all,"

Link did remember the interaction he spoke of. How could he forget even a second of that day? He had been in the domain, relaxing for just a moment with Mipha before they went to war together. Though that war came to them instead. Malice filled beasts had come streaming from the cliffs as Ganon awakened, imeaditly everyone had sprung into action.

Mipha given him one last kiss before darting to take control of Vah Ruta, her small form disappearing between the throngs of guards that were storming to meet the incoming hoard. Link had been left for a moment in a blind panic, he wasn't ready, his powers weren't awakened yet, before a frightened Sidon had latched onto him. Despite having only been a child, he was strong enough to hold Link in place as he cried out for his sister to come back.

Link had snapped at him and pushed him away before using his slate to teleport back to the castle, where he knew Zelda would be ready with the master sword.

"No," Link spoke, his voice rough from disuse, "I believe I am the one who needs to apologize, Prince Sidon. You were a scared child, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm sorry that was the last memory you had of me for all this time."

Sidon blinked at him, like the idea of him not being the guilty party in that situation had never crossed his mind, "Oh, Well then, I mean, I accept your apology, of course I do, but-" he cut himself off, "It's nice to see you again, is what I'm trying to say, and I never thought less of you for that moment,"

Link smilled, and switched back to sign to respond, his words hurt him to much to use them more than was absolutely necessary, "Maybe we could try to make new memories to replace that one?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice, your majesty. I think I may have some ideas if you are open to them?" Sidon's smile returned, though now it was something quiet in its genuineness,

"Link, please just call me Link," He signed before he could stop himself, he missed the days he spent with the champions, where their titles hadn't mattered, "But I'd be happy to hear these ideas, Prince,"

"If you will honor me by allowing me to use your name than I must insist you use mine as well," his tail wagged, Mipha had once told Link that a wagging tail was considered a bit immature amongst their people, but it was a very cute affectation,

* * *

An easy camaraderie built between them during that trip, one that was maintained through the near constant letters sent back and forth between them. Sidon would boast about his peoples accomplishments endlessly, even the small things like the inn getting another bed were subject for his praise, and he'd take lines and lines to talk about every hylian that passed through the domain. Sidon knew the name of every zora that decided to introduce themselves to him, and spoke of many as though they were friends. Link envied that closeness he seemed to share with his people, hylian royals were expected to be above the rest, to be distant but sturdy pillars of authority, but Sidon could play games with the children and train alongside his guards and be called a better prince for it.

Link would in turn talk about the rebuilding efforts, and the work Zelda had accomplished after she woke. Though he had few anecdotes to share, Sidon always responded with questions for each. Link's letters were short because he had nothing that would be particularly note worthy to speak on, while Sidon's could be miles long because there was Always something he had wanted to add or ask.

Link looked forward to every letter that came, and eventually he let himself open up a bit. In one letter written late at night when tears stung his eyes and his door was latched tight with blankets pressed up against the gap between it and the floor to save his guards from having to hear him cry, he wrote out his woes, and pleaded for Sidon's advice.

 _Prince of the Zora, how do you do it? How do you make your people love you like they do? How do you stand as a respected authority while helping teach the hatchlings how to fish? It's been almost three years since the calamity was defeated, and yet I still feel trapped away from my people. My only interactions with them are during hearings, or through my court, or during public events? Please, how have you kept your throne from isolating you high above them all? Not even Zelda treats me as an equal anymore. She doesn't defer to me, but she doesn't treat me like she once did, or like she treats everyone else anymore._ he post marked it and dropped it in with the rest of his mail before he could think better of it.

Anxiety over what Sidon's reaction to his weakness would be ate at him the entire week it took to get a response.

_Link, my dearest friend, I know it is the tradition of your people for you to stay distant, a hylian royal is no harder to kill than any other of your soft bodied kind, but I must offer one idea to solve your plight. Break tradition. You speak highly of your council, leave some of your responsibility with them and go into Castle Town to see your people face to face. Listen to them, and buy their goods from them directly. If you are invited to conversation and can manage it, take the time to enjoy it. Your guard may intimidate them, so maybe you could take up some training to defend yourself should you ever need to and walk amongst them without guards at your back. Sit in on your guards training sessions to learn what you can from them before joining in, act with humility and humbleness and I'm sure you would be welcome to their ranks._

_Some of the council will be making the trip to your castle for negotiations. Perhaps I should accompany them? So that your early explorations could be masked by diplomacy._

_Admittedly, I do have a selfish secondary motivation for suggesting that. It's been too long since you and I could spend time together. I know it's our duties that are keeping us apart, but I still wish to see you in person again._

Link bit his lip until it bled as he wrote his response, over and over again, with each edit stripping more useless confessions from the letter until he was left with something passable;

_Please come Sidon, I could think of no greater honor than showing you the town, and getting to spend time with you again._

His heart ached, he had been wanting to see Sidon face to face again for so long, but he knew he couldn't dare speak as to why he desired the Zora Prince's company so strongly. Sidon held a quiet resentment for the zora who attempted to court him, who fell at his feet because they only saw him as charming and handsome, or who attempted to chase him for the power calling him theirs would bring them.

Why would he react any differently to a crappy king's feelings for him?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda pays a visit and Link says what's been weighing him down for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont mind the chapter number increase, this is still legally a one shot. xjzbbdshshdbdb

The week that lead up to Sidon's arrival at the castle was a manic one. Link knew he was micro managing the preparations, to a point that the cooks and maids might turn to treason long before the Yiga got the chance to, but that didn't stop him from once again double and triple checking every single scrap of preparation. He scoured past letters from Sidon to see if he had missed even one dish that the prince had mentioned liking, or having wanted to try. He hadn't of course, all seven dishes were accounted for and would be served whenever Sidon wanted them, along side a few others that Link had taken educated guesses on, partially to fill out the menu, partially to hide this obsessive prep work. But still he read through the letters again, taking a small solace in the familiar words, and the hand they were written in.

When the castle was rebuilt, both he and Zelda had insisted on the addition of rooms that catered to the other races be added. But now that he was standing in the suite that would be Sidon's, Link was forced to come to terms with the fact that they might not be nearly good enough. The decorations were too drab in places, to gaudy in others. There was to much fabric, and the candles would be awfully inconvenient compared to the glowing stones Sidon and his party would be used to. The Pools though, were by Far the worst offenders.

During the particularly severe winter that caused The Domain to ice over a year ago, Sidon had put Link's worries to rest by pointing out that most of the pools the zora built were heated, with strong circulation and filtering that could take them from near freezing to steaming in a matter of moments. The ones that had been installed in these rooms could only limp along such a temperature change, taking almost a full hour to make the leap. It was mid autumn, so a cold snap great enough that it would require they make the jump was unlikely, But that was no excuse for sub par accommodations. 

Beyond that, despite all the furniture being sized for zora, apparently not one of the carpenters or designers had thought to take into consideration how absolutely massive Sidon was compared to the rest of his people. 

Link was biting his thumb nail as he prodded at the back of one chairs, it was beautifully made, the artisan behind it should be proud of their work, but besides the fact it was too small, the fabric felt like it might be irritating on scales. Like the fine threads would catch on their edges. 

When a hand clapped him on his shoulder he nearly jumped out of his skin and let out a very undignified squak as he whipped around on which ever treasonous bastard would lay a hand on him. He wasn't normally the type of king to demand to see heads roll, but he was in a piss enough mood he might just consider becoming one.

Zelda laughed, unafraid of offending her friend even if he was king now, "Link, you look like you're about to combust," her tone carried her teasing smile as clearly as it did her intention, "Relax, I know its been a while since I visited but I didn't expect you'd find a way to get wrapped up in your own head this quickly." She looks exactly as she did the last time he saw her, scars he didn't know the stories behind pock marked her sun tanned skin and her clothes carried a thin layer of grime with them, grease stains on the cuff of her shirt from working in the ancient tech labs and blood stains on the cuffs of her pants from where she had trudged through gore to find the specific monster parts she needed for whatever experiment had caught her attention most recently. She looked almost exactly as she had one hundred years ago, but at the same time she often looked like a complete stranger, like someone who belonged in this now, and not the one they were both born into.

"Whats crawled under your skin?" she crossed her arms and stood as a proud testament to the hells she'd survived, largely without him.

Link took a few deep breaths, trying to force his racing heart off its perch in his throat and back down into his chest before he responded, "Sidon is visiting," his words still grated, but they came easier when they were said for Zelda. 

"Yeah? I would have expected you to be ecstatic over that. Haven't you two been writing non-stop?" 

"We have, but-" he paused as he struggled to form the right words, "I worry the accommodations are sub par," 

"Link,"

"Yes?"

"You're doing it again," she narrowed her eyes at him playfully, 

"I am not,"

"You most certainly are. You are over analyzing everything and insisting to yourself nothing is good enough. You did exactly this when you courted Mipha, and now your doing it again," 

"No, I did n- Of all the things for you to remember," he sighed, "Yes, I'm doing it again. But, I'm not courting Sidon," 

"Why not? Whenever I visit the domain you're all he talks about. I'm sure he wouldn't mind being swept off his feet by you," 

"There are so many reasons I absolutely should not pursue him, Zelda," he could feel his throat starting to constrict so he turned to sign instead, "One, I'm a king and he's a crown prince, we both owe our people heirs that we couldn't exactly produce together,"

"That's a bull shit reason, and you know it," Zelda scoffed, "You were going to marry Mipha when she was the crown princess, and it's not like you two would have had any better luck producing an heir than you and Sidon would have," 

"That was for politics," Link defended weekly, all ready prepared for Zelda's retort,

"It was for politics? Your mother and Dorephan only set you two up because they knew neither of you would ever make the first move," she laughed, a sound Link used to miss dearly but found grating in this moment.

"Two, I Was Going to Marry His Sister. I know you say Mipha rests now, but-" he struggled to put words to the knot of guilt that tied itself behind his ribs, "I still love her Zelda, I can't just-" he gestures vaguely for a moment, frustration painted across his face in the way the arch of his nose crinkled up and his brow furrowed, "I can't court her brother. End of that thought, and I most Certainly can not court anyone until I can move on from her,"

Zelda was quiet for a moment, her own brow, now marred by a scar she sustained on her adventures, furrowed as she tapped her foot and pinned him with the look she usually only used on her experiments, "Do you really think Mipha wouldn't want you to move on?"

"No! Don't put words in my mouth," he snapped, vocally and louder than he had probably ever spoken before, "I just- I can't let myself move on, ok? I love her, and I will until I die, and I know I'll need to marry eventually, but I can't marry someone I have even the slightest chance of actually falling for, because that would be an insult to her memory," the words that, for years, had sat in a jumbled tangle somewhere between his lungs pour out from between his lips like a stampede before he can stop them, "Three, Sidon doesn't want to be courted, not by me, not by anyone," His throat stings in the aftermath, so do his eyes, but he wouldn't let himself cry in front of Zelda,

Zelda puts her hands on his shoulders, giving him time to pull away before she pulled him into a tight hug, "Oh Link, Sometimes I wish you had lost your memory too," she smelled like the ancient tech lab, of strange chemicals, ozone, and smoke, all mingled with the smell of the forest. She smelled and felt and sounded familiar as he wrapped his arms around her and let himself be held, "You're still living a hundred years in the past, aren't you?" 

"If you could still remember Urbosa would you be able to move on?" he asked quietly, 

"No," she responded earnestly, "But I know she wouldn't mind, she forgave me when I conquered Vah Naboris," 

A quiet moment passed before they parted. Link wiped at his eyes, unable to voice the turmoil inside of himself.

"Link, I already gave you Mipha's message, but you need to hear it again,"

Link just shook his head, still wiping at his eyes as a sob shook his shoulders, there wasn't a day that her words, delivered in Zelda's voice as they had been, hadn't echoed through his skull.

She spoke them again anyways, "She told me to tell you she loved you, and she made me promise to make sure you were happy, that you didn't punish or blame yourself for everything thats happened," 

"How Could I not blame myself?" he signed, "I was the Fuck Up who couldn't wake my powers. It's My Fault you all Fucking Died. It's My fault only you could be saved. How am I supposed to just Move On?" his signs were sharp and frantic as he finally failed to keep his tears contained, 

"Link, No, stop that," She wrapped her arms around him again and let him cry into her shoulder as they sank to sit on the floor, "You stop that this instant," she stroked her hand through his hair, pulling his crown off his head to set it on the floor beside them, "None of us blamed you. Not even Revali blamed you for not being able to get the Goddess to stop being a bitch and give you your powers. We all saw how Hard you worked, and how much you pushed yourself. So stop insulting our friends by insisting any one of us would or should hold bad blood against you," 

He was silent apart from the pained gasps for breath that rattled his chest. They should. Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, Daruk, and Zelda especially, they should hate him for everything that's happened, so should every single person alive. All the pain of the last one hundred years, all the death, and the violence, and the hopelessness. All of it was his fault. If he'd been a better prince, if he hadn't skipped prayer once or twice to go riding or to visit Mipha, if he hadn't gotten in the habit of venting his frustrations by screaming them at the goddess, if he hadn't been such a fuck up it would have all been so much better for everyone he has ever loved.

"Link, when is Sidon going to be here?" She asked gently, 

"Tomorrow," he rasped out, his voice as flat and as lifeless as he felt he should be.

"I'm going to go find your advisors, and I'm going to tell them that you are needed for urgent tri-force reasons. Do not say a word about your duties, we're going for a ride, and I'm going to show you how to bow fish," She pulled away, "I'm Serious Link, go get changed into your adventuring clothes, you're going to get messy, and you are going to have fun or so the Goddess help me," 

Link nodded dumbly, as he got to his feet, his every nerve felt fried and his mind was heavy despite being numb. He brushed off his pants, straightened out his shirt and waistcoat, re-tied his ascot and fussed with his cuffs. The nervous grooming fidget he'd picked up as a tween that had never quite left him did little to calm him now as he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. 

With his hand on the door knob, he took a final deep breath to piece himself together enough to not worry whatever staff he passed on the way to his rooms, but Zelda stopped him before he could leave. 

"You're forgetting something, your majesty," She said gently as she stood and crossed the room with quick strides. She held the crown out to him and frowned when he looked at it like it would burn him if he took it, "You know you don't have to wear it while we're out, just make sure you don't leave it somewhere where it might get stolen," 

He sighed as he finally took it. The sturdy gold and sapphire circlet may as well be a noose, but still he put it back on and straightened his back. With a final bow of his head to Zelda he left the room and began the trek back to his own quarters. 

There were stories his mother used to read him in the quiet moments when she had had time for him, being the queen of a country on the precipice of disaster hadn't exactly left her with a lot of time for her son, They had been the tails of the princes and legendary heros of the past, and at the time he resented them, but now, as he silently recited every single one he could remember to himself to stop his thoughts from growing thorns again, they were the only things keeping him sane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? concerns? opinions on which great fairy fountain is the prettiest?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda teaches Link to bow fish,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for mentions of animal death, (a few fish and a horse if you squint)

Link rarely ventured beyond the castle doors these days, and even rarer were the times he'd leave with a near by destination in mind and without a full detail watching his every step. Normally, if he was to venyure out it was on some diplomatic nonsense, or it was to pay respects to Hylia, or it was to attend a funeral as another of his few remaining friends passed away. It seemed that with the defeat of the calamity, more and more of the people who had pushed through the last century to ensure Zelda's success were letting themselves find rest.

Link could count on one hand the number of people he knew from that time who still breathed. 

As Zelda led him along through the courtyard that was painted fire red and sunset orange and brilliant gold by the effects of autumn she rambled about which sorts of lizards and frogs she wanted him to keep an eye out for on their trip, which ones he should grab if he saw tham and which ones he should just point out to her so that she could handle them and their poisoned skin. 

Honestly, he had expected to be stopped long before they got to the side gates that lead to Epona II's stable, so when it was only Paidlo, his royal advisor and the only person that kept this country running when Link got melancholic or found himself trapped a hundred years ago, who stopped them and attempted to insist they return to the castle. The zora will be here early the next morning, and Link still had much to do before their arrival after all. 

Zelda had always been the one who was good with her words, most likely do to her being the only one of the two of them that could actually use them most of the time, so it had been easy for her to string together a convincimg on paper tale about how she had to take the king on a brief, but very secret and incredibly sacred journey that could absolutely not be delayed or interrupted by anyone who didn't bare the mark of the tri-force. 

Paidlo, a man now long used to Zelda's habits, didn't believe her for a second, he had a habit of his own, of scrunching up his nose when he knew he was being lied too. But, fortune favors the bold, or at least it favored heros that royal advisors knew better than to call a liar in front of their king. Zelda had grinned at Link in the aftermath of her success before strutting through the gate, Link let her get a few steps ahead before sharing a few words with Paidlo, "We'll be back soon, thank you," before following after her.

Epona II was as pampered as a horse could possibly be. She had a herd of three other mares just to keep her company, a barn that was kept spotless and heated through the winter, and a pasture that was seeded with clovers and sweet grains, but she still whinnied and pranced and joyfully ignored Link's admonishments as she cantered along the trail to her heart's content. She had a war horse's blood running strong in her veins, no part of her was made to be admired from a distance. No, she needed a rider and the freedom to roam and Link loved her for it. Epona II was an opinionated steed who took no shit and demanded treats and brushes at every chance she got, but that's what made her so perfect in Link's eyes.

He laughed as she stopped dead in her tracks to investigate a tasty looking bunch of soft blue flowers, it was easy to forget his worries when he was sat atop her. 

Zelda smiled when she had to stop Storm, a dutiful and respectable white mare, in order to not leave the king and his stead behind. Link rarely laughed anymore, so every moment she could find a little brevity for him felt like a victory in of itself.

Eventually Epona II deemed the flowers not worth her time and trotted to catch up with Storm. Link had managed to snag one of them before he was carried away, and took a moments to braid the fuzzy stem of it into the stark white locks of Epona II's mane. She huffed at him but let him fuss with her mane regardless.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how I managed to forget how much you love horses," Zelda said, her tone guarded but the sharp twinkle in her eye was enough to let Link know he was in for something,"Especially cantankerous brown beasts like that one,"

"She's not cantankerous," he huffed, not dissimilarly to his steed, as he signed. He was always grateful for how phenomenally Epona II could handle herself, there weren't many steeds he'd trust to stay on course without hands on their reins, "She just has opinions," 

"Not going to deny that she's a beast?" She prods, "Truly you're a King Link, you could have almost any horse in the entire land. I would even go find you one that didn't threaten to throw you every time you asked her to step in a puddle,"

"Nope, Epona II is perfect as she is," Link nodded resolutely, "Where are we going anyways? You said you were going to teach me to bow fish?" 

"Just a bit further, I'd challenge you to a race there, but I've seen that horse run before and know full well she'd manage to fall and throw you," 

Link huffed and rolled his eyes, he knew what Zelda was doing. She was trying to goad him into a race, but while this tactic may have worked a hundred years ago, he had matured a fair bit since then and he had grown deep stubbornness that wouldn't be swayed so easily.

Eventually they arrived at the pond, this late into autumn it had dried down to a small and shallow thing, maybe 20 feet wide and less than eight feet deep at it's lowest point. But, fish still swam in it They were fairly large, bigger than Link would have expected, but considering the slowly tightening quarters they were subject to, perhaps the smaller ones had already been made into a meal by the larger ones. 

Zelda dismounted first and gestured to the pond, "I found this place only a few days after I woke up and felt it would be a good training ground for you,"

Link leaned over Epona II's neck to get a better look without dismounting, he pouted and narrowed his eyes at the water curiously, "This seems unsporting,"

"How?" 

"They can't escape," Link nodded, "They're trapped with no way to get out of danger,"

Zelda rolled her eyes at him, "This isn't a war brief, general. Hunting has different rules, as long as you make it as quick and as painless as possible, the circumstances don't matter," 

"And how do you bow fish in a way that makes it painless for them?" he eyed her warrily. When they had travled together a hundred years ago, she had been the one to hunt for all the food they'd eaten between stops and she had fed herself with only what the forrest could provide for years now, so it would make sense for her to know better than him on this one. But that didn't stop this endeavor from feeling cruel.

"Hit them in the head, aim for the space between their eyes to kill them before they can hurt, but if you miss you can just cut the head off to end it quickly," she pulled her bow and an arrow from the quiver at her hip, Link saw the uncertain way she held it, Zelda was the type to storm head first into every encounter with her sword drawn. So, perhaps she hadn't had as much practice with her bow as she had with her other weapons.

Link nodded, not bothering to respond before he pulled his own bow, a silver as saphire thing that he'd received as a diplomatic birthday gift from the zora not to long ago, from his back and nocked an arrow. With a deep breath and a moment to take aim, he loosed the bolt, hesitation wouldn't help here despite his concerns.

With a thwack he hit his target dead on, pinning the fish to the silt of the pond floor with an arrow straight through its skull. 

"Beginners Luck," Zelda huffed as she pulled it from the muck, pulling the arrow free and putting the fish in the waxed bag she had brought to carry their catches,

"It's still wiggling," Link frowned as he spoke, the jerky movements from within the sack made acid rise in the back of his throat. Archery was the only form of combat he had ever excelled at so to see his aim apparently fail him here was disheartening,

"They do that, it's just left over nerve impulses, it'll stop soon enough," Zelda tried to comfort him, her friend's since of compassion and right and wrong had a habit of flaring up at the most inconvenient times.

\---

The sun had just set when they returned to the castle, and while Link felt a bit better, every step closer to it brought him closer to his worries. He knew there was a part of him that would always call out for exploration and to be mounted on Epona II's back with a bow in his hands and no destination in mind, but that would never be an option for him, so it was pointless to encourage such fantasies by allowing them to play out in the back of his mind.

Zelda didn't follow him through the gates, she told him good bye and handed off the bag of fish they had caught, before turning Storm down some path known only to those two and disappearing back into the forest. He knew she would come around again, but her nature was to find a project and work tirelessly at it until another one caught her eye. Which meant her visits were few, and far in-between these days.

He bid Epona II farewell in the pasture before he handed her reins off to the stable hand. Taking an extra moment to pet her muzzle and to wrap his arms around her neck to hug her close, when he did step to the side, he turned before he could watch her be taken away. That always hurt to do, he knew he wouldn't have time for another ride for few weeks if he was lucky, a month or more if he wasn't, and visiting her was rarely an option either. 

Shirking his duties wasn't a sustainable option, and even this little venture would leave him playing catch-up and having to work late into the night to make up for it.

When Link finally made it back to his room, with fish blood under his nails from helping Zelda gut their catches, and nicks in the pads of his fingers from where he'd caught them on the edge of an arrow, and familiar calluses forming along the first joints of his pointer and middle fingers, all he could think about was how dreadfully lonely his quarters were compared to the woods outside the castle. The candle flames flickered and his drapes caught the breeze from the open window, but beyond them, beyond himself, his rooms were dreadfully silent and still in the dim evening light. 

His crown was tucked away under his pillow, not the ideal place to leave a priceless artifact, but it sufficed to hide it away from his sight. Still though, as he went about his evening routine his eyes would flick back to where it hid, like he expected to see it crawl out on its own volition.

He shed his adventures garb, it felt wrong to wear it now, and shoved the shirt and pants to the bottom of his hamper and tossed the heavy leather riding boots in the back of his closet before he pulled a loose sleep shirt on, one he may or may not have stolen from Zelda, and went about preparing for a night of reading and processing documents. 

Link would burn through the pile of paper work that had accumulated in his office while he wasted time galavanting with Zelda or micromanaging every inch of preparations for tomorrow. Then, he would take a bath to scrub the stink of horse and pond muck and fish guts from his skin before he went to bed. Then he would wake in time to dress his best, polished jewelry with everything pressed, and he would insure everything was ready for Sidon and his coterie when they arrived at ten the following morning. 

Or that was his plan. It was good one, but it didn't take into account the fact that he was stressed and exhausted from a mentally taxing day.

As the hours grew later and later, and the night turned to early morning, and as his pile of incompletes stubbornly refused to shrink, and the page he was reading refused to make senses, and the words refused to stop jumping around and blurring together, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and his mind grow blank, resting his eyes for a moment wouldn't hurt, would it?

He just needed a minute to gather his thoughts before he would pick back up where he left off on the tax proposal in front of him. 

Rather unsurprisingly, he was in for a rude awakening at 9:30 am a mere four hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? concerns? opinions on the injustice of not being able to ride donkeys in botw?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon arrives at the castle and gifts are exchanged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic was meant to be a short and smutty one shot, then i thought it would be better to split it into three parts, one to be an introduction, one to build the relationship and shit, and one to be nothin but smut.
> 
> Please ignore the fact that i have once again had to increase the chapter number. this is still Legally a one shot and if i say that enough it will be true.
> 
> anyways enjoy this chapter thats 1000 words longer than i thought this entire fic would be.

A loud rapping on his office door jolted Link out of his slumber. His neck and lower back protested every movement and his head pounded as he sat bolt up right in his office chair, scattering the documents that he'd fallen asleep on top of and almost knocking his ink bottle to the floor.

He forced his mind to catch up with the moment as he straightened everything out. Sunlight streamed through his window, the angle of it making Link's stomach sink through the floor as he jumped to his feet to try and salvage this disaster. He knew full well he'd overslept.

"Your majesty!" Paidlo called, his nasaly voice cutting to Link's core, "The prince and his traveling party have arrived,"

Link darted to the door cracking it open so that he could sign, uncaring if Paidlo saw him in such disarray, "I'll be in the throne room in 30 minutes, offer them a tour or something,"

"It will be done, I've taken the liberty to set your suit out for you and have already seen to it being pressed and your jewelry for the day has been polished and readied as well," Paidlo was a married man but Link could just about kiss him for his ability to pick up the slack that Link so often left him,

"Thank you," Link rasps before closing the door again, Paidlo would understand his sentimentality but Link would still have to see to trying to find a proper reward for his head advisor,

Rushing to get ready, he strips out of his sleep shirt and shorts and wipes down as best he can. Hoping that the scented soaps and perfumes would hide whatever oders that might still stick to his skin. Zora may not have an especially good sense of smell out of the water but Link still had standards for himself, Dammit.

It takes a full five minutes to scrub the ink from the papers that he'd slept on top of off his face, and another five to cover what remained of it with makeup, he thanks the goddesses for his steady hands as he applies his eyeliner and lip color, normally he wouldn't bother with makeup unless he had some ball to attend, but he needed to hide the bags under his eyes and his general unkemptness.

He dressed quickly, cursing himself when he had to redo the buttons on his shirt after doing them up wrong. Paidlo had chosen well, the soft blue and gold fabrics and fitted cut was just formal enough for his status, but not overly so, they were greeting friends, not potential allies or threats. A few small rings and simple necklaces and a bracelet later he was just about presentable. His ear rings went in last. The simple blue hoops had served him well for over a hundred years and were some of his only possessions left from the time before the calamity. Their familiar weight brought him a fleeting sense of peace as he finally paused to take a breath.

He was dressed and presentable for the most part, and Paidlo could pad out a conversation to make it last hours, so he most likely still had a few moments before he needed to be on his throne. He had the gift he would present Sidon with already stored in the throne room, but still, something nagged at him as he made his final checks.

It wasn't until he was straightening his bangs in the mirror he realized he'd almost gone to greet royal visitors with out his crown. He sighed at himself and fished it out from under the pillow. Link held it for a moment and let himself dally on the sight of it in his hands.

He wished he didn't resent it so much, that he could look at it and see his mother, and her father, and his father, and so on and so forth. This scrap of metal and precious stones had been passed down generation after generation for as long as his family had ruled and despite its unassuming appearance, it carried more history and had seen more stories unfold than Link could ever dream of. He knew that many of those stories had ended in tragedy, of course, he knew better than anyone else what had befallen this crown's previous owner. He had been the one to break a tradition that had survived ages long forgotten when he had removed it from his own mother's head. Her corpse had sat untouched for a hundred years outside the door to his rooms. Like Ganon had had it moved there as some sick joke and had told his beasts to leave it be to ensure that, even if he was defeated, Link would never forget what it costed him.

If tradition had won out over tragedy, the Queen would have taken the crown from her own head and placed it on his. She would have smiled as their people cheered and he sat the throne for the first time. Ushering in his reign with a final speech before she would be allowed to enjoy her retirement.

Link had been crowned by Impa, with Zelda standing at his side. He wished he could have looked on this crown and the coronation that it had come with fondly.

He wished it had been his mother's hands that helped him to his feet after he knelt to accept it. He wished he could chuck this stupid thing out the window and jump out after it, he wished that he could disappear into the woods like Zelda always did. He wished that even now as he was preparing to greet one of his dearest friends, one he had not seen face to face in almost a full year no less, he wasn't dwelling on the tragedy of a hundred years ago. That he hadn't been caught by old memories like a fawn too young to know better than to prance into the muddy waters of a bottomless bog.

He put the damn thing on, stood as straight as he could and schooled himself into the picture of the perfect monarch he should be, and left the sanctuary of his rooms to greet his friend.

* * *

His throne was sized for someone much larger than himself, but it survived the calamity and so he thought it should survive a short king. The decorators that had swept through the castle as it was pieced back together had done a stellar job at picking the right cushions to make it look less like was dwarfed by his throne and more like it was meant to be so oversized, like it was meant for lounging and not sitting with his back straight. He had to sit with his knees bent and his feet tucked up beside him to hide the way they would have dangled otherwise, He leaned on one arm of his throne with a pillow cushioning his side against the hard stone as he found the pose he'd worked out with Paidlo shortly into his reign. Something that said he was tastefully unaffected by whatever was put before him, but in a royal and respectable way.

The deep reds that made up most of the color in the castle did a lot to emphasize that sense of warm royalty, even if Link did have some reservations regarding the sheer abundance of it. Blues, like the sky just before sun rise or like The Domain on a clear day, would always be his preference.

Zelda had once poked fun at his preference for blue and gold, the colors had found their way into a starring role in almost every outfit he wore, and acording to her, they made him contrast with the reds and greys of the palace in a somewhat jarring way.

He understood what she meant, he often almost looked out of place in his own home. But, at the same time he knew that if he wore the more traditional red's he might disappear against the back drop of the castle. Since Link had never much liked being looked over, which was so easy for others to do when he stood beside Zelda or when his council and advisors stepped up to talk for him, or being brushed off, or treated like a prize, he had decided he was going to be as jarringly blue as he damn well pleased until he could stand as a king and be respected as such instead as being seen as little more than a damsel in distress for the hero to save or as a prize for her victories.

He practiced his expression and took slow, even breaths as he waited. Paidlo seemed to have found plenty to chat about and distract their guests with, so he found himself with a surprising excess of time despite his tardiness.

At some point he'd been handed a glass of wine, one he was thankful to find was watered down as much as it could be while still maintaining the right shade of red. It somehow completed the tableau in a way. With a sigh he came to a realization. A truley obscene amount of his job was tied up in presentation alone.

When the doors did finally open to allow his guests in, he smiled as he should and sat a little straighter to greet them.

The zora council, headed by their prince andguided by Paidlo did not see the Link who loved horses and spent hours everyday fussing over things he could delegate away when they entered. They saw The King of Hyrule, who was patient and calculating, and who had starred Ganon down for a hundred years without flinching. The barer of the tri-force of wisdom and the light that helped seal away the greatest threat their peoples had ever faced.

Sidon smiled brightly as soon as his eyes found the young king. Their familiarity with each other didn't stop Sidon from dropping into a deep bow as his travel party took a knee in neat rows behind him. Court manners had to take precedence over their friendship in this situation, despite the fact neither of them cared much for the stodgy things.

"It's truly a pleasure to see you again, your majesty," Sidon said, a deep warmth and mirth carried strongly through his voice. It managed to carry their affections with it despite the formality that was expected of them,

"And you as well, Prince Sidon," Link spoke aloud, the stiffness of having to be addressed by title and having to address his friend like a stranger ate at him regardless of how used to it he was, "Please stand, all of you,"

They did, and Paidlo swept in before another word could be said, "The King worked long into the night ensuring that the operations of today as well as the rest of your stay here would run smoothly. So, we must ask that you excuse his lack of words. I can stay to translate during your meetings should you need me to,"

"I am well versed in HSL, as are the council members I have brought along. We do appreciate the offer, Advisor Paidlo, but I am proud to say we will not need it," Sidon stood straight and held his head high as he spoke. Even something as small as his council not needing a translator was enough to make a genuine pride drip from his words. Link hid a smile behind a sip of whine as he watched Sidon briefly struggle to not ramble about his council's skill.

Sidon was striking on a normal day, but dressed to the nines with a shimmering sea blue cape that draped over one shoulder and tied to the well shined and intricately crafted pualdron that protected the other, and with glimmering silver and jewels dripping from almost every inch of his well muscled form, half of it taking the form of armor, the other half as just decoration and showmanship, well, he looked down right princely to say the least.

"Wonderful, please allow me to escort you and your council to the board room so that we may begin in proper," Paidlo nodded,

"Actually, I must ask for a moment alone with the king," Sidon flashed his teeth behind his smile, "I came all this way, not just to discuss trade, but to visit my old friend as well, after all," to Sidon's credit, he didn't flinch when his own council grumbled quietly behind him. Link wondered if perhaps Sidon was too familiar with them, if they felt it was all right to act out in such a way, to embarrass their prince, in the throne room of a foreign king they may not be under Sidon's control nearly well enough.

"Paidlo, please see the zora council to the board room, Prince Sidon and I will follow in a moment," Link signed without a second thought, stopping himself from glaring at the grumbling stranger,

"Yes sir," Paidlo nodded, "Right this way councilmen," he lead them out, doing his damndest to not leave any room for argument from the council.

Sidon watched them go, quietly and impatiently waiting for the door to click shut before he turned his attention back to Link. The smile he shared then was softer than the one he used publicly, less boisterous and with fewer teeth, but warmer and more genuine. He approached the throne without the hesitation he would have to do so if anyone else besides Link had sat within it, and held out a hand to Link.

"My dearest friend," wistfully, Sidon half sighed as he took the small hand offered to him and held it gently in his own "Excuse this rudeness, but I do not think I have the words to properly describe how Absolutely elated I am to see you again,"

The earnestness in Sidon's golden eyes and the feeling of his slightly cool scales against Link's slightly heated skin, and the sheer proximity of the massive prince leaning over him to hold his hand with more care and delicacy than Sidon's clawed fingers seemed they should be capable of… It all came together to make his face warm beneath the layer of makeup and to make the points of his ears turn red as his breath stilled in his chest for just a moment.

Link didn't want to take his hand back, but he had to when his words tied themselves up in his throat, "If you are at a loss for words, than you must have a guess at how hopeless I am in this situation," He smiled something small and quiet up at the prince, his neck protested the angle, but it was more than worth it.

Sidon just had a way about him that made Link's worries quiet, even if it was only a temporary relief.

"Hm, then maybe we should let our actions speak for us instead of our words? I have a gift for you, Link. There's another stodgy one that will be presented at dinner, but this one isn't from the zora, or a prince, and it isnot for a king," he pulled a narrow box about as long as Link's forearm from his bag and offered it to him with hope in his eyes, "It's just from me to you,"

"There's one for you as well, it's an official gift but I made sure it would be something you would actually like, would you like it now or at dinner?" Link signed before he took the package and settled it in his lap, unable to meet Sidon's gaze any longer. He knew you could only bask in the sun for so long before it started to burn, but it still pained him slightly to look away.

"If you're advisor would tolerate it, I'd love to see it now," the only thing that gave away his excitement was the way he couldn't stop his tail from wagging just that little bit,

Link pulled a box of his own from behind one of the cushions, it was thinner than the one Sidon had presented him, but almost as long.

"You first, you're my guest after all," Link signed, eager to see his reaction. Many hours had gone into designing this gift and having it produced by hands much more skilled than his own,

Sidon nodded and carefully cracked open the lid, his brow furrowed as he tried to identify what he was looking at. It had a metal nib like many of his quils did, but the body of the object was a strange rounded cylinder. It was beautiful despite its strangeness, It had a weight to it, and the almost topaz gold color of the cold metal that it was made of was quite handsome.

"I remembered you mentioning you had trouble with quills because they were too fragile and that the ink pots were always too fiddly. So I had Purah put this together. She calls it a fountain pen, you use it just like any quill but it doesn't need to be dipped in ink and it should be a fair bit sturdier," Link couldn't help how nervous he was that Sidon wouldn't like the gift, it may be a bit unconventional, but Link still hoped its practicality would win him some affection, "It won't ever need to be refilled, if it ever feels like its running dry all you have to do is leave it tip down in a bowl of water over night,"

Sidon was silent for a long moment as he took the pen from its box and held it in his hand. He found the right way to grip it quickly. "Link… I am once again at a complete loss," He blinked at the pen as he started to realize what it stood for, "Genuinely, Thank you," he hesitated for a moment before setting it back in its case like it was made of glass and tucking it away in his bag, "I must insist you open yours now,"

Link did so, lifting the lid of the box up to reveal an intricate dagger in it's sheath. his brow furrowed as he took it into his hands. Every inch of it was stunning, from the soft, almost elegant, but still sturdy looking, curves of cross guard to the embossed designs on the soft blue leather that covered the grip. When he pulled it from its matching sheath, the base of the blade was engraved with delicate flora patterns. The off-gold color of most of the metal proved to be some form of plating, as it had been sanded off in wave like lines along the twin cutting edges, showing off the sturdy steel that hid beneath the delicate gold.

"I know you prefer bows, but a dagger like this is much easier to use for self defense." Sidon started, "If you're going to be out and about more often, without your guard or Zelda at your side to keep you safe… Well, I just wanted to insure you could defend yourself from anyone who would seek to do you harm," he paused for a moment, as if he needed to consider his next words carefully, "Perhaps if we have some time between meetings and our visits to Castle Town you might let me train you a bit?"

Link nodded a little more vigorously than he should have before he could stop himself, "I'd love to, Thank you," he spoke because he didn't think he was quite ready to put the blade away, "Thank you, Sidon," he repeated his thanks earnestly, as he looked up from his place on his throne,

He didn't miss the excited wiggle of Sidon's tail or the way he stood a little straighter and puffed his chest out a little more, or how the delicate looking fins at his shoulders flared just slightly. Link smilled up at him, they've only been fortunate enough to be in the same room a handful of times over the last three years but still he had found himself catching on to Sidon's little mannerisms. He was so expressive, even if he managed to hide most of it behind a charmingly regal exterior, that almost child-like joy that radiated from him constantly would occasionaly show itself more directly if you knew what to look for.

"Before we go bicker with our councils about trade or taxes until dinner time frees us, I must ask one more thing of you," Sidon said as he not so subtly clapped a hand to the back of his head to force his tail to calm ots wiggles, a soft blue blush coloring his cheeks as he did,

Link cocked his head, silently imploring him to continue. Part of him wanted to tease Sidon for the blush, but the rational part of his mind was too busy focusing on how pretty it looked. He really did like blue.

"Please… do not let my council know that I gave you that. They were quite insistent that giving you a weapon was a bad idea, something about it potentially being seen as a promise of zora aid should a war break out between hylians and another race or that you might take it as an insult to your gentle nature. Truly, they acted like I was fool for even considering putting a blade in your hands," he rubbed the back of his neck as his smile turned nervous and he chuckled with a touch of embarrassment before continuing, "Well, let's just say it took a bit of doing to secret that blade all the way here, my most treasured friend,"

Link couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him. Of all the things Sidon could have done to potentially anger his opinionated council, this had to be the most quintessentially Sidon one.

"I won't speak a word of it," Link signed after a moment, "Thank you, Sidon,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts? concerns? opinions on which botw enemy is the best to hunt for sport when you're in the mood for blood sports?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and sidon have lunch together :] And Nothing :]] Goes Wrong. :]]]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slaps the roof of this fic* you can fit So many commas in this bitch
> 
> anyways ive decided that the theme song for this fic is Jenny by the studio killers. Specifically the line "i want to ruin our friendship/ we should be lovers instead,"

Sitting opposite to Sidon while their councils argued the scemantics of this treaty and that export deal and those import taxes had its downsides. With this much space between them there was little room to sneak quips back and forth as they waited for the first few hours of negotiations to pass, but at least it kept them from distracting eachother and agrivating their respective councils by daring to be friendly with the opposition. They both knew that, despite the mutually beneficial and near perfect alliance between their respective peoples, if you put two councils in the same room and tell them to argue for the benefit of their people, who sat accross from them or at either the head or tail of the table did not matter. Everyone who was not actively aiding their plays would be treated as, at best a minor inconvenience and at worse a new enemy.

Sidon had been to enough of these sorts of meetings to have already caught on to the very specific flow they tended to have, and Link had picked it up from his text books and tutoring over a hundred years ago. Link supposed, that despite everything that has changed in the world, the way people with too much influence and too strong of egos argued with each other would always stay the same.

The first few hours was, and always would be, just a pissing contest as the council memebers picked out who they perceived as week on the other side, or found allies, or just tried to assert themselves as top dog. To be honest, Link and Sidon hardly needed to be here for this.

While there was an occasional show from one member or another who would attempt to drag one of them into which ever tiff had boiled up to try and get him to side with them, both King and Prince knew better than to say anything overly committal until the last day of talks when everyone had tired themselves out and would be ready to actually make a good faith deal. 

Eventually, after a full three hours that was Supposed to be dedicated to taking an overview of the items they were to discuss over the next four days but that was instead spent by the councils very elegantly bickering about the wording of the first fucking item, lunch drew near and menu cards with a few potential options listed and a place for notes to the chef were handed to everyone and taken away as each member made their choices. 

Link tried not to smile to himself when he saw Sidon's eyes light up at the selection presented. Of course the entire menu for this first day was composed of items his friend would like, but it was still nice to get the confirmation that his preparations had been worth it in the end.

A full half an hour of even more grating argumentative nonsense later, one that was made worse by the fact the lot of them were now actually thinking about how hungry they were, lunch was Finally served. 

Most of the zora councilmen took their meals at their seats, a few left to their rooms with their plates in their hands, as did almlost all of Link's council, with only a few stragglers staying behind to continue discussions with the allies they'd managed find on the other side. 

Link himself had planned to take his meal alone as he usually did, but Sidon seemed to have other plans.

"Your majesty," Sidon started with the honorific purely to keep up appearances for the few council members who may care to listen in, as he approached Link before he could stand from the table, "I saw a lovely garden off to one side of your front courtyard, and I was wondering if you would like to join me there for this meal?"

"That would be lovely," Link spoke aloud, wishing that he didnt mind the brief, but surprised look he got from one of Sidon's councilwomen. Perhaps that had been the first time she had heard his grit-ridden voice? It was most likely the first time she had heard the version of it that didn't have a great amount of care put into to making it sound regal instead of just sickly. He knew it contrasted starkly with the image he tried to project, but it was still his voice. Shouldn't he be able to use his own voice in a semi-private conversation with a close friend?

\---

Link didn't tend to appreciate the gardens as much as he maybe should. Sure they were pretty, but he never really had the time to dwell on the work the gardeners did to keep the space looking neat and beautiful even in the depths of autumn. They had found an old stone bench, one that looks like it might have been one of the few pieces to survive from before the calmaity, that was just large enough for them to sit comfortably beside eachother without touching in more ways that occasionally bumping elbows. 

There was something to red and white of Sidon's scales turning a brilliant ruby and a rich cream in the light of the mid day sun as they almost blended against the deep oranges that surrounded them that threatened to take Link's breath away. Or perhaps it was the smell of their meals perched on their laps combined with the rich earthy smell that was unique to places where leaves gently decayed into the soft and slightly damp soil that had nourished them while they lived. Or it was how almost normal this moment felt, like this was how he should take his meals, sat beside a man his heart ached for when he let himself think too long about Sidon's smile as though they were perfect equals without the stresses of royalty weighing their extremely limited time together down.

"Care to tell me about your trip? It must have been an ordeal to secret that dagger all the way here," Link signed,

Sidon snorted, "Fortunately my council and my guards know better than to attempt to go through my things, but I did have a close call that first night," he put his utensils down so that he could gesture as he spoke without risking accidentally throwing a fork, "I was excited to see you, and well, I couldn't help myself, I got out of the pond we were sleeping in and headed off into the woods to, and I must request that you do not make fun of me for this, I went into the woods to double check that it was as good as it should be,"

"I am choosing to withhold comments at this time," Link teased,

"Yeah, well when of your councilmen finds you sneaking off into the woods to do something private that you won't tell them about, especially if you seem very embarrassed about getting caught… Most of them will be physically incapable of withholding their comments," 

"Did they think that-" Link can't finish signing his sentence without cracking up, clapping a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughs as a deep blue blush rose to Sidon's cheeks. 

"Unfortunately, there is no good way to say you were looking at your friends dagger without making it sound euphemistic," Despite his embarrassment he was chuckling along with Link, a deep warmth in his gaze and a gentle smile on his lips,

"Sidon, You are very close to committing regicide," Link gasped out laughs as he signed. The image of poor, gentlemanly Sidon trying to explain that statement away would stay with him forever,

"Yeah, well I need tips from you on how to keep my council in line. I appreciate how friendly they are with me, but sometimes I'd like to think about my friends dagger in peace," He cocks his head and emphasizes 'dagger' in such a way that it sends Link into another fit of giggles. Had Link's eyes not been screwed shut as he tried to compose himself and stiffle his laughs he would have seen the way Sidon's hand briefly hovered over the young king's thigh. It would have been a friendly gesture, to just place his hand just above his dearest friends knee, but he hesitated. His hand hovered there for a half second before Sidon seemed to think better of it.

After a moment Link had managed to recover enough to respond, un aware of the small gesture he had just missed, "Have Zelda sit in on your meetings for a month and I garuntee she will teach anyone of them respect without damaging your image. Even the pushiest of my Council will step down if they think Zelda will catch wind of something they'd done,"

"I will have to keep that in mind. I'm sure I can find a way to bribe her into spending a week at the Domain," he paused for a moment as though he was making a note to himself to do so before carrying on, "Speaking of councils, and if you do not mind my bringing up politics while we eat, but may I ask why your council seems so intent on keeping full fishing rights for Cephla Lake?" he had a curious light in his eye as he asked. Which was understandable considering that one of Link's councilmen had spent almost a full hour bickering with anyone who would bite over a fairly small and somewhat unremarkable lake,

"No clue. I think Leo might have just been trying to establish dominance," Link shrugged, "There's no notable settlements in the area, besides the Foothills Stable I suppose. So long as you all can spare a few guards to patrol the area and deal with the lizalfos after the blood moons, I see no reason you can't have primary rights," 

"Primary, not full?" 

"That stable relies on the lake for most of the food they have. Beyond that, travelers and merchants fish there when they need to pass between here and the Akkala highlands. Otherwise I'd not hesitate to grant you full rights," Link knew it probably wasn't wise to make such statements without his council's approval, but this seemed like a safe enough promise, and one that may go a little ways towards proving to Sidon that not all hyllian politicians are contrary prats, or at least that they weren't contrary prats constantly and did have the ability to compromise occasionally,

Sidon nodded, "You are as wise as always, my friend. I will need to make sure we have the guards to spare but beyond that I believe we can make this work," 

For a moment they sat in companionable silence as they ate their meals. Occasionally one would glance out of the corner of his eye to find his friend already looking back at him before quickly looking away. Link decided that there was a strange comfort in those little glances, one he couldn't put to words if he tried.

Realistically, they could be as late as they wanted to be when the meeting would start back up in about ten minutes time. No one could exactly tell them how long their meals should take afterall, but they both prided themselves on not being overly difficult rulers and would prefer to be punctual. Still though, as the minutes drew on Sidon spoke up.

"I assume you received the news from Riju as well?" His tone carried a cautious excitement,

"Unfortunately," and his a cautious dread,

"Unfortunately? I thought her success with Vah Naboris was incredible, despite how brief it was," Sidon's brow couldn't furrow, but the slight scrunching of the underside of his crest carried a similar expression, "I know she said she was only able to take control for a few moments before Naboris kicked her and her guard out, but still, she must be the youngest person to ever gain a divine beast's respect,"

"She is. She's also only 16, Sidon, she shouldn't be messing around with that beast, nobody should be," Link signed, carefully choosing his words as bile at the notion of Riju, a girl a ful year younger than he was when he faced ganon, a girl with so much ahead of her, going near that death trap that had stolen away one of Link's closest friends and that had threatened to kill another,

"I'm afraid I don't follow, why should Vah Naboris be left alone? She's a powerful weather maker and guardian, if the gerudo could get her operational again, by getting her to accept a new champion, wouldnt that make her a massive boon? Especially now that she's been freed of the malice?" Sidon's confusion wasn't confrontational in the slightest, his tone was that same even and strong thing he always used, but still it struck a nerve that Link had long thought dead,

"I do not mean to be rude when I say this, but You, of all people, should know full well how dangerous the divine beasts are. They failed to protect their previous champions and I- I don't want to see that happen again. Especially not to someone like Riju, she's already proven herself a prodigious ruler, and shes a boon to the gerudo regardless of whether or not she has control of Vah Naboris," He tried to explain himself without snapping at Sidon,

"My friend, do you really believe the divine beasts failed the champions?" His confusion turned to disbelief,

"Of course I do. They were supposed to protect their pilots and keep them safe from all outside threats. They were supposed to be impervious, but they weren't. And four good and strong people died. and Many more died after them when Ganon had control over the beasts." there's a pause, his fingers twitch with half formed and aborted little gestures as he struggles against the thrumming that was starting up in his ears, "Sidon, I lost four of the most important people in the world to me because those things failed. Two thirds of the people I loved the absolute most in the entirety of existence Died gruesome awful deaths because those things failed them. Look me in the eye and tell me I should trust them with anybody else," Link challenged, 

Sidon briefly met his piercing glare, only for his eyes to dart away a moment later as he turned to face ahead of them instead of at Link, "I understand your worries, Link, but if the only thing that could break the beasts defenses was an eon old fated evil, then perhaps they are not as guilty for the champions deaths," he pauses carefully considering his next words, "I wanted to tell you this face to face, because I thought you would be excited about it, but… You should still know," He takes a breath as Link's heart sinks as he guesses where rhis is going, "I was able to enter Vah Ruta on my own. I swam down to the bottom of the reservoir on my own after we got word of Riju's success"

Link blanched at his words, the fight leaving him immediately. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest, but all he feels is ice in his veins, the mirth from moments ago dead and gone as old memories of the horrors Ganon had shown him while they were locked in their battle of will dredged themselves up and shambled to the front of his mind

"She didn't try to stop me, and let me explore for a few minutes before she started up a current to kick me out," He can't look at Link as he speaks, the worry and hurt that already paint themselves across the hylian's delicate and soft features is too much for him to bare,

"Sidon, please-" Link signs, despite Sidon's eyes not being on him,

"Vah Ruta would be a great asset to my people, I know that for a fact because of the work Mipha was doing with her before- I know its unfair to bring up Mipha directly, but you weren't the only person to lose someone you love to Vah Ruta." He keeps speaking, one word after the other, as he tries to explain himself,

"Sidon," Link's words constrict behind his heart as he signs the name again,

"The ability to use Vah Ruta to create out own currents, and insure a complete protection from the droughts we've been facing, plus having a powerful guardian like Ruta would keep my people Safe,"

"Sidon."

"I can't Ignore the possibility of using her," 

"Sidon." Link finally spoke, as he clamped a hand on Sidon's wrist. The chill of Sidon's slightly damp skin do nothing to abate the heat of his own palm as he speaks, "There's nothing I can say to convince you to leave that thing alone is there?" his words are quiet, barely above a shaking whisper,

"There isn't." Still Sidon can't look at him, but he places his other hand atop Link's, the pads of his fingers pressed between the taught ligaments on the back of Link's small hand, his claws brushing the back of his dearest friends wrist,

"Then as the king of this land, I'm giving you an order Prince," The use of his station against his friend made his blood curdle, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do, "Vah Ruta already stole one person I love more than life, Don't let her take another from me." His voice shook, despite the force behind his tone,

"Link-" he wasn't allowed to finish his statement as Link's hand tightened on his wrist. The grip was a far way from being able to hurt, but there was more strength behind it than Sidon expected there would be,

"Promise me, Prince Sidon." Link insisted, leaving no room for argument,

"Of course-" Sidon didn't get a chance to finish because Link stood at that moment, ripping his hand away as he did so and putting space between them liked he'd been burned,

Link's blood was running like ice despite the anger that masked fear that was burning deep in his core, "Good," He stormed away, back towards the castle, without another word spoken between them. He'd apologize once he could breathe without feeling like he was choking, or close his eyes without seeing Mipha's final moments played on repeat.

He knew he needed to return to the council room. He knew how to pull himself together enough to not worry whoever passed him in the halls. He knew how to keep up appearances. What he didn't know was what he was going to do.

Only when he found himself alone en route back to the council room did he realize what he had said to Sidon. What he had asked for specifically from a man he'd promised himself he'd never allow to see what fervent and festering feelings hid just beneath the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thought? concerns? Opinion on which botw npc is the worst? ( Factually, its that guy who gives you 300 r for a horse and then sells it, but yall are welcome to other opinions)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> explanations are in order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well! what i had planned for chapter 2 starts in the next chapter :]
> 
> this is also the first chapter to be sub 2000 words, which js neat bc i used to struggle a lot with getting a chapter to be over 1000

The meeting was reconvened on time with both Link and Sidon having taken their places moments before it was to start.

Link stood and spoke up before anyone else could, firm and unshaking in his words even if they did grate in his throat after having spoken so much today, "I am primarily addressing my own council in this moment." he began, "We will only have the pleasure of working directly with Prince Sidon and his council for a total of four days. Today was meant for us to just go over the matters of discussion, and not to argue them. We already wasted our morning and as this meeting will be ending an hour before dinner time, I do not want to hear a single padding or argumentative word from anyone of you. Am I understood?"

The brief nods and affirmations from his side of the table were met by barely hidden smug looks from and whispers between the zora councilmen.

"May I add something on to that statement, King Link?" Sidon spoke, his voice as calmly up beat as it usually was when he was around his people. Though, Link had not missed the way Sidon's eyes hadn't left him for even a moment since he'd entered. Link knew full well that their conversation from lunch was going to come back up eventually,

"Of course, please never hesitate to speak your peace," Link signed instead of attempting to speak as he settled into his chair, and took a sip of the honeyed wine Paidlo had had left for him. He needed to let his voice rest or he'd likely lose it again.

"Thank you, I must apologize on my councils behalf," the smug looks on the zora councilmens' faces promptly dropped at the statement, "Some of the behavior they have displayed since arriving has been in poor taste at best and immature at worst." he kept his eyes on Link as he spoke, "I would like to remind them that we are not in the Domain right now, and that the customs that need to be respected when interacting with hyllian nobility and royalty is vastly different from what would be expected of them when they interact with other zora. I understand that they are out of practice in this matter, but I will still be expecting better from them in the future," Sidon's tone stayed even as he spoke, never raising beyond what was needed for everyone to hear him or taking on any venom. Even without being addressed directly, Sidon's gentle disappointment was enough to cow his council into sitting a little straighter. Such an immediate reaction made Link briefly wonder if the clear hurt they felt would have been as severe if Sidon had raised his voice at them instead,

"I can not speak for my own council, but I accept the apology," Link signed, "Is there anything else we must go over before we get to the meeting. Any statements the councilmen would like to make?"

A moment of silence passed and shortly afterwards the meeting began in proper. Having their monarchs not so subtly tell the lot of them to cut it resulted in a much smoother operation. To the point that the meeting was able to be adjourned a full half hour early.

While Link could appreciate the efficiency, the coldness of it all was a touch uncomfortable. Sidon's attention seemed divided between him and something else, like his mind was wandering instead of staying present and attentive as he usually was.

Link couldn't help the pit that was twisting itself with worry behind his navel at Sidon's behavior. He should have kept his cool. He should have tried harder to convince Sidon that interacting with Vah Ruta was an abysmal idea. He should have shut himself up before he confessed to the boiling affections that mirrored what he had felt for his now long dead love. He felt he masked his turmoil well for the entire length of the meeting, but as the last few items were checked off, he couldn't help but feel the dawning danger of having ruined their friendship with one hot headed spiel. Sidon didn't crack a single joke or try and catch his eye. He was as polite as any prince could hope to be, but still the slight coldness was sending frostbite wrapping around Link's heart.

When the meeting ended, Link didn't stick around, he couldn't bare to have Sidon's eyes on him for one second longer. He excused himself as politely as he could and retreated to the sanctuary of his rooms. Dinner would be served in the dining hall and he would be expected to attend, to give a small speech and a proper welcome to the Sidon and his council, and the thought of it all weighed more than a tarus.

He resisted the urge to flop onto his bed and scream uselessly into his pillow like a love lorn teen, and instead took his place at his desk. He still had the paperwork he failed to complete the night before to tend to, and such a mind numbing distraction would be welcome.

He was only able to get half way through a particularly comma heavy section, one that dragged on and on and refused to find an end, when a knock, firm but polite snapped him from his readings. Link didn't recognize the knock, three firm raps from high up on the solid wood door, and that alone was enough to put his already primed nerves on edge. He didn't speak as he rose to investigate, the dagger Sidon had given him was tucked in the inside of his coat's pocket, and his hand dwelled on it's handle as he approached. The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by a voice,

"Link? I need to talk to you," Sidon said from the other side of the door, "Please?" he added after only a moment,

Link hesitated, his hand hovering over the bronze knob that had dents in it from generations of use slowly rubbing away the metal. He could pretend he wasn't here…

"Link? Please, I know I upset you, but we need to talk. Please," Sidon's words were getting more nervous as he went on, "One of your maids said she had seen you head here, but maybe she was wrong, and I'm just talking to thin air. If you're there, please let me in?"

Another moment passed and Link briefly wished that it had been the tri-force of courage he had been branded with.

"Dammit," Sidon sighed, barely audible from beyond the door. Link heard him shuffle around, and a moment later a piece of folded paper was being slid under his door as he heard the sounds of Sidon's foot steps receding down the hall.

Link let out the shaky breath he had been holding, and counted to ten before bending to pick the paper up,

_Please come talk to me. I will be in my room until dinner, and if I do not see you again before then I will hound you and not let you out of my sight until we talk._

_-Sidon_

Link held the letter, the looping handwriting on it was familiar and comfortable even if the words felt dagger sharp. He needs to go talk to Sidon. He knows he does. He wants to clear the air between them, to be brave enough to stop choking up like this. But fear curls its dagger sharp claws against the insides of his ribs.

He has roughly an hour. One entire hour before they would both be expected at dinner. An hour wasn't that long. Sidon wouldn't have time to stomp his heart too much if he went now…

Link took a deep breath already mulling over excuses as he tucked the paper in his pocket and set out down the winding halls that would take him to what may as well be his execution if he's going off the dread in his chest.

The bright white door with the brass knob that acted as the guard to Sidon's chambers may as well have been a guardian for the barrier it presented. Still, he takes a shaky moment, and then knocked.

The door swung open almost as soon as the first knock sounded. Sidon stood behind it with a painful caution in his golden eyes as he silently stepped to the side to let Link in. The room is mostly the same as Link remembered it being. Sidon travled light so the only sign of his inhabiting this room was a single bag hanging off the back of a chair. Link stood awkwardly in the center of the room, not knowing where he should sit, or even if he should.

"Vah Ruta already stole one person I love more than life, Don't let her take another from me." Sidon said, his tone careful as he repeated Link's words back at him, "Link, were you saying that…" he let himself trail off, his expression unreadable,

"You're one of my only friends, and you were going to be my brother-in-law. Of course I love you and want you to be safe," Link explained his words away with careful signs, wincing as Sidon's expression briefly turned to dismay before he was able to school his over expressive self back to neutrality,

"You were saying that you love me like a brother?" He cocked his head just slightly, his tail tip flicking back and forth as he spoke. That little movement screamed frustration or annoyance,

"I'm sorry, I know I have no right to think of you in that way," nothing he said was technically a lie, he never said he loved Sidon like a brother but if that's what it took to save their friendship than he could pretend thats the shape his love took,

"No, no. I- I appreciate it. I guess I've just never had a brother and I thought that maybe- You know what? Nevermind me, let's write this all off as a misunderstanding, and move on," his smile is tight as he speaks, "After dinner, we can go pay our first visit to Castle Town, right?"

"Of course," Link nods, surprised at how well this has gone despite the embarrassment burning under his skin at this whole ordeal,

"Amazing, thank you. But I need to get somethings done before dinner so if you'll excuse me…" Sidon gestures at the desk lamely,

"Oh, my apologies," Link shuffles back to the door, "See you at dinner," he signs before leaving quickly with his head ducked down.

Only a moment after the door had shut, and Link was a few paces down the hall did he hear a loud splash from Sidon's room.

He could ask about it at dinner he supposes.

There's a lot of things he could suppose, but as it stood guilt and an uncomfortable muck was making its home beneath his skin. He may not have lied directly, but his lie of omission still felt wrong, and Sidon's behavior made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidon, whining into his pillow: He Loves Me Like a BROTHERrrrr. 
> 
> thoughts? concerns? opinions on what dubious food would taste like?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Tourmaline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this delay in updating is brought to you by Me. the rough draft of this chapter was almost 4000 words long, which do to how my process works, the final draft would have doubled the current length of this fic. 
> 
> that mammoth has been divided up into 3-4 chapters and once i get done editing them they will be posted pretty quick. a beast that big just does not play nice wif my adhd.

Link needed to work through the knot of emotions that was tying up his every thought, he needed to apologize properly to Sidon, he needed to say his prayers, he needed to finish that paperwork, he needed to be a good king, he needed to be a good friend. 

He did none of that.

Instead he spent the hour or so before dinner staring out the window of his bed room with a half composed letter starring back at him from the pages of his journal. He never sent the letters he wrote in this book, nor did he send any of the letters he had written in it's long destroyed sibling. That wasn't their purpose, even when the people they were addressed to were still alive. 

He wrote them letters that he never wanted them to see. Venting grievances with every stroke, or pouring his heart out between the vowels, or just ranting in the direction of someone he'd never let know this book exists. 

This letter had been addressed to Mipha when he started it, he owed her an explanation. Her spirit may rest now, but he promised her his heart, and he would be lying if he pretended she didn't still hold it. But as the words poured, and the explanations came, he scratched out her name. 

Then the letter was addressed to his mother, the wisest person he had ever met, the only person who ever saw him cry or that would hold him when his duties weighed too heavy on his shoulders. She had always known what to do, always knew what to say to make the hurt go away. 

He didn't deserve forgiveness, and he didn't deserve that kindness. He was a crap king who couldn't maintain diplomatic relationships, who couldn't hold that impulsive and childish side of himself down, who couldn't even convince his friend not do something horrifically dangerous without letting slip a cruel secret. 

He addressed the letter to Revali. They had both been archers, always pushing and goading the other to take that trick shot or to push themselves that extra mile. Never did they go easy on each other, never did the slight animosity that grew from their mutually competitive natures clashing get in the way of their friendship. If what they had could be called that. Revali wouldn't know how to solve this, but he was brash and good at picking out every flaw in Link's stance and Revali wouldn't hesitate to tell him exactly what he thought in the slightest, even when he hurt like this. 

He recounted what had happened, everything important to this situation since Ganon was defeated Every time he had seen Sidon, or when he couldn't stop thinking about him, or something he said. Link poured everything he had onto that page, only to be stopped as he was trying to conclude. Trying to make sense of this ramble as he heard a version of Revali scoff at him in the back of his mind.

Link loved Sidon, he knew that, not like a brother (goddesses why was he letting Sidon think that) and not in the way he loved Mipha. He wanted the same things from Sidon, to an extent, but his relationships with those two felt so drastically different that it had to be wrong to categorize them together. The love he had for Mipha had always been airy, and soft, that tender and young type that can only grow between teenagers who don't know adult stressors yet. While what grew between him and Sidon felt sturdier, built on the basis of their friendship and alliance.

But he knew his affections weren't to be pursued. Sidon needed someone who could rule beside him, who matched him in his skills as a leader, he needed someone who wouldn't slow him down, or need to be protected. He needed someone as different from Link as they came.

Then, even if Link managed to make himself betray Mipha like that, King Dorephan would never allow it. Sure he was an understanding man, and kind hearted like his children, but it was Link's fault his daughter was dead and that his entire kingdom was almost wiped out. King Dorephan was understanding, but he wasn't enough of a fool to allow Link to hurt his only remaining child. Not to mention that if he made even one misstep and managed to hurt Sidon the consequences would effect many more people than just the two of them. The hyllians and zora had a decent alliance, he didn't need to go and poison that well over a stupid crush.

He tried, but couldn't bring himself to consider what Sidon would think of his true feelings, there was no way for this to play out that didn't end in agony. 

Would it hurt more to find that his affections were returned but still un-pursuable, or to be rejected outright by someone he could hand his heart too?

He knew his conclusion, of course he did, he was in denial not delusional. Sidon could never know, and Link needed to move on, that was the only kind and diplomatic thing he could do in this situation.

But that didn't mean he was happy to accept it.

\---

  
Dinner begins and almost ends without a word passing between Link and Sidon. The seating arrangement had them at opposite ends of the table again. Link understood why of course, it would be horribly improper to ask Sidon to sit anywhere other than one of the heads of the table, and Link wouldn't exactly be able to take a different seat to sit beside him either, not without his council giving him an ear full the moment they got the chance. 

Perhaps the worst part of being sat where they were was how blatantly obvious it was that Sidon was avoiding looking at him. 

Their councils ate and laughter would bubble up from many as if they forgot their previous disagreements. Sidon kept up that public smile, the broad and partially fake thing he used when he was being observed, the entire meal. His voice would float over the din occasionally as he told a story to a few of Link's councilmen, from the snippets he could hear Link knew he had already read it in Sidon's letters, but something still ached at Sidon not inviting him to hear it spoken. 

He kept his head down, signing when spoken to, but not entertaining those near him in the same way Sidon was. Maybe that was why Sidon was more beloved by his people than Link was by his. Sidon was mostly charm and boisterous confidence by weight, with a mellow but strong voice that always managed to make hearts flutter, or at least it always managed to make Link's flutter, he had to assume it was the same for everyone else. Sidon was a hard man to not like, and Link knew he went out of his way to be that approachable. That he made the conscious effort to be like this, but it still seemed to come as easy to him as breathing did to Link. 

Towards the end of their meal Sidon was handed a small parcel by the black zora who sat beside him. He smiled and stood, waiting a moment for the conversations around them to pause before he started speaking, "I hope I am not being presumptuous by addressing your table, King Link," Sidon smiled, the fake thing he used in public, not the soft thing he used when it was just the two of them, that hurt, but Link didn't want to think about why it did,

Link waved a hand to dismiss his concerns, a wordless gesture for him to carry on. Of course Link already knew roughly what Sidon had to say and what manners dictated this little bit of theater, but that didn't stop his heart from picking up speed.

"Thank you," Sidon bowed his head slightly, "I just wish to thank not just you, but your council and your staff for the hospitality that has already been shown to my council and I. I've already told you how much we look forward to working with you, but now I wish to offer a gift of gratitude to drive it home," Sidon stepped out from around his chair, walking the distance to Link with smooth and even strides, "I know there is a level of propriety that is expected of us, but I must say that I am offering this not just as a prince and ambassador, but as your friend as well," 

Briefly his smile turns to that soft warm thing as he passes the small box directly into Link's hands, "I hope it's to your liking," while his previous statements had been made with a bold voice for all to hear, this one was just for Link, even if those closest to them did get a sinipet as well,

Link held it in one hand to sign his thanks to Sidon before turning his full attention to it. Link had been craving the feeling of Sidon's eyes on him the entire meal, but now that he was once again the center of Sidon's attention the feeling of that warm golden gaze on him was nearly overwhelming.

The box was black, square, and barely longer than Link's palm so Sidon's hands had nearly concealed it completely when he held it. It's lid lifted smoothly on fine silver hinges and Link's breath caught in his throat when he saw what was inside. His mind already racing to give meaning to what he held.

It was a fine silver bracelet, a simple wheat chain where each link was twisted around itself ever so slightly. The chain itself was thin and delicate looking, a marvel of craft in its consistency, but that was not what had stolen Link's breath. Every few links there was a small deep sea blue stone held in place in an equally refined setting. They can't be-

"I know its traditional to gift hyllians with ruby or some other red stone, or diamonds, of course, but I also know blue is you're favorite color. So, I hope this gift of blue tourmaline will do," 

Sidon's smile was tight as someone muttered in the background, but Link's attention was on the bracelet alone. His had breath come back to him when Sidon named the stones but his heart still twisted with a strange combination of emotions. He pulled it from it's box and fussed with the clasp as he silently mouthed "thank you," up at Sidon. Link didn't know when he had started smiling, but his cheeks hurt as he struggled with the damn clasp,

"May I?" Sidon asked, holding a hand out to his friend,

Link nodded, holding his own hand out. He struggled to keep his composure as Sidon's deft fingers got it fastened the right way around in moments. The murmurs from the councils grew, but the fuzzy felling between Link's ears, roughly where his brain should be, drowned them out.

"Thank you, Sidon," Link signed, not thinking well enough as his heart thundered in his chest to remember to use honorifics, "I love it," 

"I'm- I'm glad to hear it," Sidon clears his throat as he steps away, clearing his throat and looking away, "Again, thank you for your hospitality," he nods, not quite curtly before making his way back towards his seat.

Link only barely catches one of the elder zora speaking as Sidon passes her, "What did you say those stones were?" there's something edging on disbelief in her voice,

"Blue Tourmaline," Sidon responded firmly as he took his seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways, did you all know blue tourmaline is one of the hardest gems to tell apart from sapphire? i didn't, spent a lot of time googlin that one.
> 
> also i got distracted while trying to make the mammoth chapter work, and wrote the second to last chapter, the final story chapter before the smut i started this fic for, and im extremely proud of it and cant wait to show it off. Not just because i cried writing it and managed to shoehorn a Jenny by the studio killers reference into it. i just genuinely think its the best thing ive written so far. 
> 
> ive also got the epilog drafted out, but thats just going to be a short and cute thing
> 
> comments? concerns? opinions on which botw npc has the most rancid vibes? id ask which npc has the best vibes but we all already know the answer is Spinch, and his rider; Spinch.

**Author's Note:**

> the file name of this fic is "porn one shot,"... I think i have achieved a new height of fucking up.
> 
> (porn will probably be in chapter 3 >->)
> 
> [edit- chap 3 was supposed to be the final chapter and this fic was supposed to be like 2500 words long max. As i said, i have achieved a new height of fucking up. Porn will happen at some point.]


End file.
